Chinese President Jiang Zemin completed his summit with President Clinton. Clashes over human rights upstaged collaboration on other matters. First, Clinton criticized China's human-rights record during a news conference with Jiang. Reporters oohed and aahed. The New York Times said Clinton "showed plenty of spine." Then, congressional leaders grilled and lectured Jiang on the same subject. Jiang dismissed Chinese political prisoners as criminals, likened China's treatment of Tibet to Lincoln's liberation of the slaves, and defended the Tiananmen Square massacre as being necessary to preserve "state security." Worst moment: Jiang's entourage asking U.S. officials to move protesters off the street outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia so he wouldn't have to look at them. On the bright side, Jiang promised to "open China still wider to the outside world" and said that "without democracy, there can be no modernization." Pundits agreed that Jiang got prestige at home and around the world and that China is replacing Russia as the chief concern of U.S. foreign policy. Editorialists groused about China's persistent evils but grudgingly conceded that it was a good idea to make nice with Jiang in the hope of reforming China over the long term. (10/31)

The"Nanny Murder Trial" ended in a conviction. British au pair Louise Woodward was found guilty of second-degree murder for causing fatal injuries to the baby of two Boston-area doctors. The inside spin: Woodward's defense, headlined by O.J. trial veteran Barry Scheck, blew it by refusing to offer the jury the option of a lesser manslaughter conviction. The cultural spin: This is what can happen when you leave your baby in the hands of a mysterious au pair. The political spin: Should the U.S. government continue sponsoring the importation of au pairs? The backspin: Women should stop working and stay at home with their kids, instead of hiring nannies. (10/31)

Iraq stopped three U.S. weapons inspectors from entering its territory. This once again violates U.N. resolutions that put Iraq's military under international supervision. Both sides will now replay their old game: The United States will seek international support for sanctions and perhaps a military strike, probably to be thwarted by a last-minute Iraqi retraction. There are two schools of thought: 1) Saddam once again is proving his genius by taunting and frustrating the United States. 2) Saddam once again is proving his idiocy by galvanizing the international coalition against him, which had been disintegrating. (10/31)

Update on the campaign-finance scandal: 1) Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt appeared before the Senate investigating committee and denied allegations that his department reversed its decision on an Indian casino project in order to please Democratic contributors. Babbitt explained that he had probably lied to a lobbyist about being pressured in the matter by Clinton political aide Harold Ickes, but that he (Babbitt) was not now lying to senators about having lied to the lobbyist. The New York Times called it "the closest [thing] to a quid pro quo" in the scandal. Pundits blamed Babbitt's troubles, like those of Vice President Gore, on the corrupting influence of President Clinton. The casino episode is seen as a prime candidate for triggering an independent counsel, who could then investigate everything else. 2) Documents show that two Republicans on the Senate investigating committee received political help from an independent conservative group secretly funded by conservative moguls. 3) Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott agreed to schedule a vote on the McCain-Feingold bill in March. Commentators cheered. (10/31)

A consensus is forming on why the stock market pulled out of its nose dive. The antidote to a crash, as summarized in Friday's Wall Street Journal, is confidence. 1) Investors are confident that the U.S. economy is stronger than in 1987. 2) Brokers and mutual funds handled "sell" orders more quickly and willingly than in 1987. This reassured investors that they could get out at a time of their choosing and therefore, that they needn't rush to do so. Corollary: The "circuit breakers," which suspended trading, backfired. (What are circuit breakers, and how do they work? See Slate's "The Gist.") 3) The remaining problem is lack of confidence in Asian economies. The International Monetary Fund is now putting up billions of dollars in loans in the hope of solving this problem, and the United States has agreed to backstop loans to Indonesia. (10/31)

Pundits are debating where the markets will go next. The conventional, feel-good view is that the U.S. market withstood its plunge valiantly and will resume forging ahead. The contrarian view is that the rally happened too soon, that the market hasn't bottomed out yet, and that it needs to do so in order to "wash out" its fears--i.e., it needs to finish puking before it can start eating again. In any event, no one thinks this is a bear market. Tuesday, optimists speculated that 1) the correction would scare consumers sufficiently to cool off the economy, so that the Fed won't have to raise interest rates and 2) the U.S. rally would restore global confidence and fuel recoveries in other countries' markets. Sure enough, Wednesday, 1) Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress that the "salutary" plunge will slow consumer spending nicely and 2) overseas markets rebounded. Even hard-hit Hong Kong rose by 19 percent. (For more on Monday's madness, see "The Motley Fool.") (10/29)

A western New York man allegedly has infected nine women, and perhaps many others, with HIV. According to authorities, he seduced teen-agers by lurking around schools and parks and had sex with them despite knowing he had the virus. The youngest victim is 13. New York City is up in arms because he evidently had sex with many women there as well. The story is igniting two controversies: 1) Can the man be convicted of a crime? The district attorney plans to charge him with six counts of first-degree assault, and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says "he should be prosecuted for attempted murder." 2) Are HIV confidentiality laws too strict? Authorities had to get an unprecedented court order to allow the release of his name so that they can find, warn, and test his sex partners and their subsequent sex partners, who may number in the hundreds. (10/29)

Miscellany: The National Basketball Association hired its first female referees. Dennis Rodman said they should be prepared to be patted on the buttocks. Jerry Brown announced his candidacy for mayor of Oakland, Calif. Rep. Walter Capps, D-Calif., died of a heart attack. Paula Jones' lawyers subpoenaed Gennifer Flowers. The federal deficit fell to $22.6 billion, the lowest in 23 years. President Clinton tried to make a big deal about it, but everyone was distracted by the stock market. Pol Pot urged Cambodia to ally with the West in order to avoid a "fascist regime." Tests show that John Denver was sober when he died in a plane crash two weeks ago. (10/29)

About 300,000 women attended the Million Woman March in Philadelphia. The main themes: the status of black women, family unity, repentance, and renewal. Other topics: drugs, homelessness, and civil rights. Unlike the Million Man March, this event was organized by Philadelphians unconnected to the Nation of Islam. The closest thing to a Farrakhan figure was South African heroine-turned-villainess Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Other speakers included Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., whose demand for a probe of CIA drug-peddling in black neighborhoods--unsubstantiated by any evidence--was played up by march organizers. There was also a pitch for racially segregated schools. Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King declined to attend. The New York Times saw the march, along with the Million Man March and the Promise Keepers rally, as a sign that Americans are giving up on institutions and are organizing to solve social problems themselves. (10/27)

The Florida Marlins won the World Series. They became the first wild-card team and the youngest club (they were founded five years ago) to win the Series. Sentimentalists cheered the triumph of Marlins' manager Jim Leyland, who had been in baseball 33 years without a championship ring, but lamented the defeat of the plucky Indians, who haven't won the Series in 49 years. Commentators complained of the Series' sloppy play but applauded the epic Game 7, in which the Marlins, down to the last two outs of their season, eked out the tying run and won in extra innings. Sports historians anointed Indians second baseman Tony Fernandez the goat for missing a ground ball that ended up deciding the game--forgetting that Fernandez's previous two-RBI single was the only reason the Indians were still in the game. (Two baseball broadcasters discussed this year's Series in a Slate"Dialogue.") Meanwhile, D.C. United won its second Major League Soccer championship. (10/27)

Stephen King dumped his longtime publisher, Viking, and is seeking more than $17 million for his new book. Analysts see this as a milestone in the publishing industry's descent into the madness of superstar free agency, which has already overtaken Hollywood, CEO compensation, and professional sports. Patterns: 1) Loyalty is dead. 2) The superstar is demanding more money than the company can possibly earn from his services. 3) All it takes is one fool--and there are plenty of them--to pay him the money anyway, thereby accelerating the madness. 4) The superstar expects the industry to justify his compensation by finding new revenue streams. 5) The superstars are eating up all the available money and crowding out new talent. (10/27)